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The Torch to light up Heide Museum of Modern Art with powerful new exhibition

Phoebe Blogg - February 5, 2025

Trevor Nickolls, Brush with the Lore 2010, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 199.5 x 182.5 x 2 cm, Art Gallery of South Australia. (Image: supplied)

Public art museum and sculpture park Heide Museum of Modern Art has announced a major new exhibition developed in partnership with The Torch.

Presented from April 5 to July 20, the exhibition Blak In-Justice: Incarceration and Resilience calls attention to the pressing issue of Indigenous incarceration in Australia through a compelling selection of artworks by leading First Nations artists alongside participants of The Torch program.

The Torch provides art, cultural, and arts industry support to First Nations people who are currently incarcerated or have recently been released from prisons in Victoria.

Curated by Barkindji artist, curator and Creative Director of The Torch, Kent Morris, Blak In-Justice presents works by acclaimed First Nations artists that address the overrepresentation of Indigenous Australians in the criminal justice system and the crisis of deaths in custody.

Their powerful responses are shown alongside the remarkable creative achievements of former and current prison inmates, many of whom have connected with their culture and Country through The Torch program.

The collaborative exhibition includes work by the internationally renowned Birri Gubba and Darumbal artist Gordon Bennett, whose visceral triptych Bloodlines confronts colonial violence; provocative and darkly comic photographs by the trailblazing Kuku and Erub/Mer artist Destiny Deacon; Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman, and Gurang Gurang artist and activist Richard Bell's painting Walk On (Bell's Theorem) that reworks words from the Old Testament to engage with the complex history of race relations in Australia; the major painting Brush with the Lore by Ngarrindjeri artist Trevor Nickolls, offering sharp social commentary on contemporary Aboriginal life; and emotive portraits by Badimaya artist Julie Dowling that draw from a range of artistic traditions, including icon painting and Renaissance portraiture.

A selection of works in diverse media by Walmajarri man and artist Jimmy Pike will also be on display, reflecting stories of his Country. Pike's unique style was developed while he served time in Fremantle Prison, before rising to prominence as one of Australia's most significant national and international artists. Never before seen garments from his early Desert Designs range are also included in the exhibition.

From The Torch program, Palawa artist Thelma Beeton and Taungurung/Boonwurrung artist Stacey Edwards reflect on their shared and deeply supportive journey through prison and beyond; and Sean Miller explores his Gamilaroi heritage through a selection of his ceramic works, echoing the traditions of his ancestors who shaped and carved the ground and trees for ceremony. An installation of six carved wooden pelicans by Daniel Church titled Pelican Mudjin (Family), represents the connections between all Aboriginal peoples from the south-east coast, and his own Darug family.

Mr Morris said the exhibition not only strives to raise awareness of the mass incarceration of First Nations people, but further shine a light on what is being achieved to break the cycle of Indigenous imprisonment.

"A First Nations-developed and led project, the exhibition not only raises awareness of the mass incarceration of First Nations people but shines a light on what is being achieved to break the cycle of Indigenous imprisonment. The idea to present this exhibition in partnership with a major public museum has been formulating for many years and I greatly appreciate the support and enthusiasm from the Heide team for the project," he said.

"By sharing the stories of those who have experienced incarceration and how connection to art and culture has provided trailblazing pathways to healing and self-determination, we hope that visitors to the exhibition become a part of the solution to this ongoing issue."

Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody brought down its findings 1991, incarceration rates for Indigenous Australians have more than doubled and deaths in custody have continued to increase. Of all young people in detention, 63 per cent are First Nations - who only make up 5.7 per cent of the Australian population aged 10–17.

Indigenous men are 17 times more likely to go to prison than non-Indigenous men and First Nations women are 25 times more likely to go to prison than non-Indigenous women.

Blak In-Justice makes an engaging and important contribution to public discourse about First Nations injustice and the power of cultural practices, exploring the vital role of art in First Nations communities and Australian society in raising awareness, sharing stories and creating change.

This Blak In-Justice exhibition is supported by Principal Partners, the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner, and the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.

List of participating artists include: Vernon Ah Kee; Richard Bell; Gordon Bennett; Mia Boe; Trevor "Turbo" Brown; Ronald Bull; Robert Campbell Junior; Uncle Jack Charles; Destiny Deacon; Karla Dickens; Julie Dowling; Kevin Gilbert; Les Griggs; Ricky Maynard; Albert Namatjira; Trevor Nickolls; Jimmy Pike; Reko Rennie; Gordon Syron; Judy Watson; Anwar Young, Unrupa Rhonda Dick and Frank Young.

Artists from The Torch program include: Angus Abdullah; Christopher Austin; Thelma Beeton; Felicity Chafer Smith; Daniel Church; Stacey Edwards; Jeffrey Jackson; Kim Kennedy; Thomas Marks; Sean Miller; Sam Morrison; Keith Ritchie; Peter Thurlow; Robby Wi

Blak In-Justice: Incarceration and Resilience will show from the 5th of April - 20th of July 2025 at Heide Museum of Modern Art, 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen Victoria.

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